Tea/coffee pot with pivoting strainer

ABSTRACT

A tea/coffee pot includes a pot body designed to be filled with a liquid, and a strainer body which is arranged therein and is pivotable by way of a handling device between a submerged position and an emerged position. The strainer body includes at least one compartment for receiving an additional substance, such as tea leaves, ground coffee. The handling device includes a pull element for pivoting the strainer body, and the pot body has a guiding device in which the pull element is displaceably guided along a predetermined path for pivoting the strainer body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tea/coffee pot comprising a pot bodydesigned to be filled with a liquid, and a strainer body which isarranged therein and is pivotable by means of a handling device betweena submerged position and an emerged position and which comprises atleast one compartment for receiving an additional substance, such as tealeaves, ground coffee, or the like.

A generic tea pot comprising a tea receiving device is known from DE 4432 547 A1. Said hollow semispherical pot is provided in the area of itshandle with a pivot bearing in the form of an upwardly oriented,projecting flat body. The pivot bearing is arranged at the upper end ofthe handle and serves to receive an opening of a pivot lever whose oneend has arranged thereon a spherical strainer body. The opening insidethe pivot lever is positioned in the central area of the pivot lever,but at a greater distance relative to the strainer body than to theopposite end. The lever portion which is designed as a handling deviceat the other side of the opening is adapted to the contour of the handleand can be locked thereonto. In the non-locked state, the strainer bodyis in a downwardly pivoted position so that the body can be submerged,for instance into hot water, if necessary (submerged position). Thestrainer body is located in this position near the bottom of the potbody. The strainer body is pivoted upwards into a position substantiallyabove the water surface (emerged position) by a user pressing onto theupper side of the handling portion of the pivot lever. As soon as thehandling area has come into contact with the outer contour of thehandle, a locking operation is performed by means of an arrestingdevice, so that the strainer body is held in this lifted position.

Such a configuration has the drawback that a relatively long lever armsection must be present between the pivot bearing and the strainer bodyto sufficiently lift and lower the same. However, to prevent anydisturbing action of the handling area of the lever arm, the arm mustnot exceed a specific length in practice. This results indisadvantageous lever ratios, whereby the force to be applied must berelatively high on the one hand. On the other hand, the force cannot beapplied in very accurately metered amounts, so that the strainer body issometimes virtually flung out of the liquid and is suddenly stopped bythe abutment of the handling area on the handle. That is why ananti-splash means must be provided at any rate so that no liquid isthrown out of the pot. If the lid has been forgotten by mistake, thismight have unpleasant consequences. Furthermore, such a solution is onlysuited for relatively flat and very broad pots because only with suchpots can the desired distances be covered by the pivotal movement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore the object of the present invention to improve a pot ofthe above-mentioned type such that the handling of the strainer body isimproved.

In a generic pot this object is achieved in that the handling devicecomprises a pull element and that the pot body has provided thereon aguiding device in which the pull element is displaceably guided along apredetermined path for pivoting the strainer body.

Although it is already known in the prior art that in particularchain-like pull elements are used for transferring a strainer body froma submerged position into an emerged position, these elements were mostof the time passed centrally through the lid of the pot and then dangleddownwards on the outside, thereby presenting an obstacle in part.According to further constructions the handling device was additionallylocked onto the pot so that the pull means was under a permanenttension. However, with these designs, an unlocking of the lid andserious scalds were observed in part because of the tensile stress ofthe pull element.

By contrast, the present invention has the advantage that the pullelement is exactly guided in a guiding device and is displaceably guidedalong an exactly predetermined path. This means that the pull element isonly displaceable along said predetermined path and does not freelydangle from the pot in the emerged position of the strainer body.Especially with children, freely dangling pull elements or pull elementsthat could freely be gripped outside the pot have so far been populartoys in the prior art, which partly resulted in accidents by the potbeing knocked over due to pulling on the pull element.

Thanks to a diverse design of the guiding device, the invention makes itpossible to predetermine the most different paths for movably guidingthe pull element. Furthermore, a pulling force on a pull element can bedosed much better, and because of the fact that there is no gearing—incontrast to a pivot lever system, the displacement movement of the pullelement can be converted into a direct vertical displacement of thestrainer body. The risk of an accident is thereby reduced considerably.

A further essential advantage of the invention is of course the factthat no storage place has to be provided for the strainer body becausesaid body can preferably be moved into a position which is within thepot and above the liquid level. Thus during the whole preparing andsubsequent serving process the strainer body remains within the pot bodyso that the drinking pleasure is not lastingly marred by the cumbersomeremoval of a strainer body from the pot.

To avoid excessive loads on the pull element, for instance by a slidingmovement along an edge, the pull element according to one variant isguided in longitudinally displaceable fashion in the guiding devicealong a curved path which is in particular convex relative to a potaxis. Thanks to the convexly curved path relative to the pot axis, thepull element remains near the pot so that guiding devices projecting toa superfluously wide extent need not be provided. A guiding along theouter contour of the pot is also possible with such a design.Furthermore, advantageous frictional conditions are created in theguiding device because in the case of a curved path there will be noabrupt rise in frictional forces.

Advantageously, the pull element may be a component which issubstantially rigid and adapted to the path predetermined by the guidingdevice. The term “rigid component” is just to rule out entirely flexiblepull elements, such as bands, cords, chains, or the like. The componentshould be designed such that it does not change its shape in theunloaded state. All of the disadvantages inherent to such flexible pullelements are thereby eliminated. The pull element and the guiding devicemay be designed as components which can be telescoped into one another,so that a substantially hidden displacement of the pull element takesplace, or a displacement adapted to the contour of the pot. Since thepull element is rigid, it can additionally receive bending forces, sothat the element can freely project beyond a specific area in adirection transverse to its longitudinal extension. This is e.g. thecase when the pull element in the submerged position of the strainerbody is mainly moved out of the guiding device. It is thereby possibleto assume the most different positions of the strainer body inside thepot body, even if the guiding device is arranged laterally on the pot.

Advantageously, the pull element in an emerged position of the strainerbody can mainly be withdrawn into the guiding device and held therein.The bending load which, for instance, a rigid pull element is subjectedto in the emerged position is thereby reduced to a very considerableextent. It should be borne in mind that in the emerged position thestrainer body with its wet filling has a much greater weight than priorto submersion into the liquid.

As a rule, the prior-art pots have a lid which is detachably mounted onan upper pot opening. The lid can e.g. be inserted into the pot openingand screwed into or onto the pot opening. Furthermore, hinged lids areknown that are e.g. pivotably supported at one side on the pot body. Tobe able to fill the pot body with liquid as much as possible and,nevertheless, to arrange at least the compartment filled with theadditional substance outside the liquid, the lid may comprise aninterior which is open towards the pot opening and in which the strainerbody in the emerged position is arranged at least in part. This resultsin an additional displacement path for the strainer body and the fillinglevel of the pot is thereby increased. Of course, the strainer body canbe fully pivoted into the interior of the lid as well.

For an easier handling of the pot a handle may be arranged on the potbody, the handle forming at least part of the guiding device. Since thehandle normally projects laterally from the pot body, there are enoughpossibilities of arrangement for accommodating a suitable guiding devicewhich provides the desired displacement length of the pull element.

Advantageously, the path which is predetermined by the guiding devicecan therefore be adapted to the shape of the handle. Such a design isvery well compatible with a curved design (sickle shape) of the pullelement.

To displace the pull element in an easy way in the area of the handleand to simultaneously shift the strainer body between the submerged andemerged position, the handle may comprise a guide groove as part of theguiding device that substantially extends along the longitudinalextension of said handle and has displaceably supported therein the pullelement, which is molded thereon accordingly, between a first positionassigned to the submerged position of the strainer body and a secondposition assigned to the emerged position of the strainer body. Theguide groove may e.g. also be provided in the interior of the handle,and in such a case access to the pull element must be provided for. Thisis a very compact embodiment because the same does not necessarilydiffer on the outside from conventional pots without a strainer body.

According to a variant the handle, the guide groove and the pull elementmay be curved substantially in the form of a circular arc and may beinsertable into one another. A curved design in the form of a circulararc yields, on the one hand, an advantageous handle which can safely begripped and, on the other hand, a e.g. rigid pull element can bedisplaced very easily along a circular path. It goes without saying thatdue to the displacement along a circular path the strainer body isdisplaceable not only in its vertical position, but also in itshorizontal position.

The pot may be designed such that the upper pot opening is directlyformed at the upper end of the pot body. The lid is directly mounted onthe pot body. A corresponding spout can also directly be formed in thepot body. In a pot body of glass this can easily be accomplished with acorresponding shape. However, a drawback of such a glass body might bethat when the lid is mounted or removed or upon contact of the glassspout with a vessel there might be some damage. To avoid such a damage,an attachment member may be mounted on an upper end of the pot body andmay be formed at least with a spout and an upper pot opening. Thisattachment member may e.g. be made from plastics. Furthermore, theattachment member can be screwed, locked or glued to the pot body made,in particular, of glass. A sealing ring of rubber or the like may bearranged between attachment member and pot body for improved sealing.

For easier handling and manufacture of the pot the handle may be moldedonto the attachment member.

In the case of a pot body without attachment member or also withattachment member, the handle can be also directly fastened to the potbody in a detachable manner.

In particular upon use of easily adhesive materials, such as glass, asthe material for the pot body, the handle may also be glued to the potbody. This joining technique can be controlled very easily even at thetemperatures prevailing in such a case.

To guide the pull element easily from the strainer body towards thehandle, an opening for the pull element may be formed between lid andpot body or attachment member or in the attachment member, the openingbeing part of the guiding device.

A simple embodiment of the pull element, which is easily displaceablealong the guide groove at the same time, may be a pull element made froma flat section having at least one slide surface which is movable alongthe guide groove.

For a simple manufacture of the handle with a corresponding guidegroove, the groove may be formed from the outside of the handle. Theflat section may e.g. be embedded in such a guide groove to be flushtherewith. To this end, the guide groove in the handle mayadvantageously be substantially V-shaped in cross section and the flatsection of the pull element may have a correspondingly adaptedcross-section so that the pull element is substantially guided in theguide groove to be substantially flush with the outer contour of thehandle.

It must here be regarded as an advantage when the pull element in thearea of the handle comprises at least one handling device. Such ahandling device may e.g. be a cam projecting from the flat section or anoutwardly protruding eyelet or ring. Such a handling device can also beinserted at a later time into a corresponding bore in the flat section,in particular after passage of the pull element, through theabove-mentioned opening. Moreover, the handling device can be secured ina detachable way.

To be able to secure the strainer body in a simple manner to the pullelement, the element may be designed as a holding hook at its endassigned to the strainer body. Said holding hook can engage into acorresponding holding opening on the strainer body and can be detachablysecured thereto.

In particular, in order to safely hold the strainer body in its emergedposition and to prevent an automatic return movement into the submergedposition, the guiding device and/or the handle may have assigned theretoan arresting device for fixing the pull element at least in its secondposition. Such an arresting device can be designed in different ways. Itcould for instance be a locking opening provided in the guiding device,which is engaged by a corresponding locking projection when the secondposition has been reached. A second locking opening may also be providedfor fixing the submerged position.

For easily producing a corresponding arresting device, whichautomatically fixes the pull element in a second position, the arrestingdevice may be designed as a constricted portion of the guiding device.Thanks to a simple frictional engagement between guiding device and pullelement, the latter is thereby held in its second position and cannevertheless be displaced towards the first position by applying just asmall force.

It is also possible to design the arresting device in the form of alocking hook on the pull element and of an associated locking nose inthe guiding device. A specific position of the strainer body is thenassigned to each locking position. In particular, the locking hook canbe formed on the end portion of the pull element and the locking nosecan be formed in the guide groove of the handle. The locking action isthen performed in integrated fashion in the area surrounded by thehandle and thus at a hidden place.

Advantageously, a separate locking nose may be arranged in the guidegroove for each position of the pull element so that the pull elementmust just comprise a locking hook to occupy the different positions.

In particular in the case of a pot body made from glass, it is anadvantage when the pot body comprises a lower base member connected tothe handle and/or the attachment member. This base member may be adetachable part of the pot body and e.g. be made from plastics or metalin the case of a pot body made of glass.

The base member can be made detachable by the measure that the member isdetachably clamped via a clamping mechanism to the lower portion of thepot body. Thus, for hygienic reasons the base member can be removed forcleaning purposes. As a rule, the pot body can also be put down withoutthe base member so that a base member can alternatively be used fordecorative purposes. The base member can also be designed differentlywith different decorations.

Furthermore, it is possible that the base member consists of a thermallystable material, in particular of metal. Stainless steel is hereparticularly suited. This embodiment has the additional advantage thatsuch a pot can be put with its metal base on a pot warmer because thelatter develops a considerable amount of heat which can easily beendured by the base member material.

To securely fasten the handle relative to the pot body, the pot body maybe provided on its outside with at least one circumferential groove forreceiving a wire secured with both of its ends to the handle. Such awire surrounds the pot body along the circumferential groove, therebysecuring the handle to the pot body thanks to the fastening of the twowire ends to the handle. Of course, two wires of this type may alsosurround the pot body in spaced-apart relationship with one another andbe secured to the handle. The handle can be fixed in an improved wayrelative to the pot body when the two ends of the wire are guidedlaterally along the guide groove for the pull element in the handle intothe vicinity of the lid.

The contact of the handle with the pot body can further be improvedthereby and the pot can be carried more safely when the handle comprisesan outer leg formed with the guiding device and an inner leg resting onthe outside of the pot body, the legs being interconnected at their endssuch that they enclose a grip opening. The grip opening is used forcarrying the pot, and the outer leg can be gripped around with the gripopening.

To be able to connect the base member to the handle or on the attachmentmember, the base member may comprise a connection carrier extendingtowards handle or lid or attachment member along the outside.

To be able to fill and also to clean and empty the strainer body in asimple way, the body may be foldable and/or dividable into about twohalves. As a rule, the strainer body is round or oval and unfoldable ordividable approximately along its equator. Preferably, the strainer bodycan be divided into a left and right strainer body half substantially inparallel with or in a plane formed by the pull element. In particularwhen a strainer body half is removed and the other one is stillconnected to the pull element, the pull element can be used togetherwith the one strainer body half as a metering spoon or a scoop when adetachable connection has been chosen between guiding device and pullelement.

The end of the pull element which is assigned to the strainer body mayhave arranged thereon a ring on which at least one of the two strainerbody halves can be mounted and connected to the strainer body for theformation thereof. The strainer body halves can thereby be connectedvery easily to the pull element. Such a connection can be provided withan elegant design and is very interesting, especially with respect tohygienic reasons, because the transition between ring and pull elementcan be designed such that deposits cannot collect at said place.

To this end the at least one strainer body half can be connected bymeans of a bayonet-like catch either to the other half or to the ring.Such a connection can very easily be opened for filling the strainerbody with additional substances.

In most cases an embodiment is adequate in which the one strainer bodyhalf is firmly connected to the pull element and the other strainer bodyhalf is detachably connected or connectable to the pull element. This ifof particular advantage when the strainer body half which is firmlyconnected to the pull element is to be used together with said elementas a metering spoon or a scoop. Moreover, the fixed strainer body halfcan be gripped in an improved way for detaching the other strainer bodyhalf and therefore serves as a handling device for opening and closingthe strainer body.

For optical reasons and for an improved control of the interior of thepot, the pot body may be made from a transparent heat-resistantmaterial, in particular glass.

For an easy displacement of the strainer body, in particular, along acurved path, it is advantageous when the pot body is bulged.

A plastic material is normally also used for the material of the lid,and the plastic material may be electroplated for an improved opticalappearance. The lid can also be made from a thin metal.

As a rule, the pull element is made—like the above-mentioned wires—froma metal, such as aluminum, steel, or the like. This is also applicableas a rule to the strainer body. A design of plastics is also possible.

Like the handle, the base member may be made from plastics or alsometal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention shall now be explained and described in moredetail with reference to advantageous embodiments taken in conjunctionwith the figures which are attached to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a tea/coffee pot according to afirst embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a top view on the pot according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a second embodiment of a pot according to theinvention;

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of an arresting device for use in the potaccording to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a full section through a third embodiment of a pot accordingto the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective top view on the pot without lid of FIG. 1, withthe strainer body being in the emerged position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, with the strainer body being in itssubmerged position;

FIG. 8 is a perspective side view of the handle of the pot of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 shows the handle of FIG. 8 in full section; and

FIG. 10 shows the pull element of FIG. 5 with a ring molded thereon, inan enlarged perspective side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a first embodiment of a tea/coffeepot 1 according to the invention. A liquid 2 is filled into a pot body 3of the pot 1 up to a level 43, which is shown in broken line. The potbody has a bulged outside 27, with a handle 14 for handling the pot 1being arranged at one side on said outside.

The upper end 11 of the pot body 3 has arranged thereat an upper potopening 8 with a spout 13 opposite to the handle 14. A detachable lid 9is mounted on the upper pot opening 8. The lid has approximately theshape of a semisphere with a hollow interior 10 which is opened towardsthe upper pot opening 8. A rim 44 which can be inserted into the upperpot opening 8, and by which the lid 9 is held on the pot body 3 and theupper pot opening 8 is sealed at the same time, projects from the lid 9.

At the lower end of the pot body 3 opposite to the lid 9, there isarranged a base member 26 in which the pot body 3 is e.g. held inform-fit or force-locked fashion. For a further stabilization of the pot1 a connection carrier 37 is connected to the base member 26, forinstance by welding, the carrier extending along the outside 27 of thepot body 3 towards handle 14.

The handle 14 comprises an outer leg 32 approximately shaped in the formof a partial circle, as well as an inner leg 33 resting on the outside27 of the pot body 3.

The legs are interconnected at their lower and upper ends 34, 35 andenclose a grip opening 36. The upper end 35 of the legs 32, 33 isarranged laterally next to the upper end 11 of the pot body 3, and ashoulder portion 42 projects upwards from the outer leg 32 and rests onthe lid 9 with its end facing said lid.

Two end sections of a round wire 31 are guided along an outside 21 ofthe outer leg 32 (see also FIG. 2), the round wire 31 being guidedaround the pot body 3 in a circumferential groove 28 formed in theexterior 27 of the pot. The circumferential groove 28 extendssubstantially in parallel with a support surface 45 on a bottom side ofthe base member 26. The end sections of the wire 31 are guided, see FIG.2, up to the shoulder portion 42 along the outside 21 of the outer leg32 and are there inserted and fastened with their ends 29 and 30.

The connection carrier 37 extends along the exterior surface 27 of thepot body 3 approximately up to the circumferential groove 28 and isthere normally secured to the wire 31 by being welded thereto.

Inside the pot body 3 a strainer body 5 is displaceably supportedbetween a lower submerged position 4 and an upper emerged position 7. Inthe submerged position 4 the strainer body 5 is adjacent to the basemember 26 and partly arranged therein. In the emerged position 7 thestrainer body 5 is moved into the hollow interior 10 of the lid 9 and isarranged above the liquid level 43. The strainer body 5 has formedtherein at least one compartment 6 into which an additional substance,such as tea leaves, ground coffee, or the like, can be filled. In thesubmerged position 4 the additional substance is in contact with theliquid 2, which is normally hot, and a beverage, such as tea, coffee, orthe like, is prepared. In the emerged position 7 the additionalsubstance is separated from the liquid.

As a rule, the strainer body 5 is composed of a first half and a secondhalf 38, 39, the halves being in contact with one another along adivision 41 approximately along an equator of the substantiallyspherical strainer body 5. The two halves 38, 39 can be screwed to oneanother. Furthermore, half 38, for instance, see emerged position 7, maybe pivotably supported relative to the second half 39 in the area of thedivision 41 for opening the strainer body 5. Various mechanisms, whichare per se known, can be used for closing the strainer body.

A pull element 15, in the form of a sickle-shaped arm, is detachablysecured laterally on the strainer body by means of its end 40, which isdesigned as a holding hook 23. The holding hook 23 engages into acorresponding holding sleeve 46 which in the illustrated embodiment isarranged on the second half 39 of the strainer body 5. The pull element15 extends in curved fashion with a substantially identical radius ofcurvature as the outer leg 32 of the handle 14. An opening 19 forguiding the pull element 15 therethrough is formed between handle 14 andlid 9 in the area of the upper pot opening 8 and is continued in theshoulder portion 42. The pull element is guided through said opening tosuch an extent that it projects from the shoulder portion 42 on theoutside 21 of the handle 14. The outside 21 of the handle 14 has formedthereon a guiding device for guiding the pull element 15 formed from aflat section, the pull element being displaceable along said guidingdevice for moving the strainer body 5 from the submerged position intothe emerged position, and vice versa. A flat side 20 rests as a slidesurface on the outside 21 in the guide groove 18, see FIG. 2.

To be able to easily move the strainer body manually by means of thepull element, a handling device 22 is arranged on the pull element 15.This device may e.g. be designed as a cam secured in a hole of the pullelement 15.

When the strainer body 5 is in the submerged position 4, the pullelement 15 is arranged in its first position 16 in which the handlingdevice 22 is arranged adjacent to the shoulder portion 42. For movingthe strainer body 5 into the emerged position 7, the pull element 15 isdisplaced by means of the handling device 22 along the guide groove 18towards base member 26 until it is arranged in its second position 17corresponding to the emerged position 7 of the strainer body 5.

To hold the pull element 15 in the second position 17 and thus thestrainer body 5 in the emerged position 7, the guide groove 18, see FIG.4, may comprise an arresting device 24 in the form of a constrictedportion 25. An end 47 of the pull element 15 can be pushed into thisconstricted portion in the second position 17 and pulled out again forreturn into the first position 16.

FIG. 2 is a top view on the pot 1 according to FIG. 1. For the sake ofsimplification the remaining pot body 3, for instance with the spout 13,is not shown.

As can in particular be seen in FIG. 2, ends 29, 30 of wire 31 areinserted into the shoulder portion 42 and secured there. The ends 29 and30 are laterally offset and arranged in parallel with the guide groove18 with the pull element 15 arranged in said groove.

It should here be noted that the guide groove 18 may also be designed asa hollow guide within the outer leg 32 of the handle 14, and that inthis instance it is only the handling device 22 that projects outwardsfor manual operation.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the pot 1 according to theinvention. Identical parts are provided with identical referencenumerals and are only referred to in part.

The second embodiment differs from the first one, in particular, in thatthe pot body 3 is arranged between the base member 26 and an upperattachment member 12. The attachment member 12 is attached to the upperend 11 of the pot body and is secured thereto. The upper pot opening 8is formed accordingly by an upper end of the attachment member 12 andcan be closed by a lid 9. The attachment member 12 has arranged thereona spout 13 and, opposite thereto, a handle 14.The handle 14substantially comprises only one outer leg 32 and is otherwise formed asthe handle 14 according to FIG. 1 with guiding device 18 and pullelement 15 which is slidably supported therein and includes handlingdevice 22.

As a further difference to the first embodiment, no additional wire 31is guided in FIG. 3 in a circumferential groove 28 around the pot body 3and, instead of this, the connection carrier 37 is guided along thewhole outside 27 of the pot body 3 from the base member 26 to theattachment member 12. The connection carrier may e.g. be configured as adouble wire which is secured both in the base member 26 and in theattachment member 12. Attachment member 12 and base member 26 may bemade from plastics and connected to the pot body in form-fit orforce-locked fashion. In particular in the area of the attachment member12, a rubber ring (not shown) may be arranged between said attachmentmember and the pot body for mutual sealing.

Furthermore, base member 26 and/or attachment member 12 may be made froma metal which is connected by welding to the double wire as theconnection carrier 37.

A further embodiment of the present invention shall now be explained inmore detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10. When identical or similarcomponents are referred to, identical reference numerals will be used.Only fundamental differences over the preceding embodiments will bediscussed in the main, so that the above description will applyanalogously.

The main difference consists in principle in the design of the pullelement 15 with the strainer body 5 and the associated guiding device.

As can in particular be seen in FIG. 8, the grip which is laterallyattached to the pot body 3 is provided in its arcuate outer leg 32 witha guide groove 18 extending from the upper end 35 to the lower end 34.The guide groove 18 extends over the whole length of the outside of theouter leg 32 and has a substantially V-shaped form when viewed in crosssection. A central line of the guide groove 18 is located in one planewith the pot axis A. The guide groove 18 is open to the outside and justcovered by the shoulder portion 42 of the lid 9 in its area assigned tothe upper end 35, so that a closed guide is formed in said area for thepull element 15. Therefore, the lid 9 is detachably locked to the pot bymeans of a locking device 48. The locking device 48 is located on therim 44 at the lower edge of the lid 9 which only comprises penetrationsin the area of the spout 13 and for forming the opening 19 (for passingthe pull element 15 therethrough).

The guide groove 18 has a substantially uniform depth and extends, likethe outer leg 32 of the handle 14, in the form of a circular arc.

The cross-sectional shape of the sickle-shaped pull element 15 isadapted to the V-shaped cross-sectional form of the guide groove 18. Thepull element is thus also V-shaped in cross section and may bedisplaceably arranged in the guide groove 18 such that the outside 49 ofthe pull element 15 is substantially flush with the outside 21 of thehandle 14. The length of the pull element 15 is chosen such thatsubstantially a semi-ring is formed with substantially the same radiusas the guide groove 18.

The outside 49 of the end 47 of pull element 15 has arranged thereon ahandling device 22 in the form of an annular eyelet by which the pullelement 15 can be displaced in guide groove 18. On the inside of thepull element 15 a locking hook 50 is provided at end 47, which lockinghook can be locked with correspondingly designed locking noses 51 ontothe base of the guide groove 18. In the present embodiment two lockingnoses 51 are provided. The upper locking nose 51 represents thesubmerged position 4 of the strainer body 5, and the lower locking nose51 the emerged position 7 of the strainer body 5. The arrangement of theupper locking nose 51 is chosen such that the strainer body 5 in thesubmerged position 4 is still spaced apart from the bottom of the potbody 3 to some extent and does not rest thereon.

The locking noses 51 can very clearly be seen, in particular, in FIG. 9.They are spaced apart by about 70° on the circular arc of the guidegroove 18.

As can be seen with reference to FIG. 10, a holding ring 52 is moldedonto the end 40 of the pull element 15 and has a circular cross-sectionwhich is substantially oriented in extension of or in parallel with theplane formed by the sickle-shaped element 15. The holding ring 52 ismade integral with the pull element 15, so that the whole element shownin FIG. 10 can e.g. by produced by way of injection molding. Arespective bayonet-catch receiving means 53 and 54 is arranged at bothends of the holding ring 52. The diameter of the holding ring 52substantially corresponds to the diameter of the spherical strainer body5, of which the holding ring 52 is an integral part. At both sides ofthe holding ring 52, a first half 38 and a second half 39 of thestrainer body 5 that have about the shape of a hollow semisphere arerespectively mounted and arrested by means of the bayonet catch 53 and54, respectively. The first and second halves 38, 39 are then providedwith respective strainer openings.

Since in the unmounted state of the lid 9 the pull element 15 with thestrainer body 5 can very easily be removed from the pot 1, said unit canbe cleaned easily. Moreover, it is possible to use said element as ametering spoon or a scoop when one of the two halves 38 and 39,respectively, has been unscrewed.

As soon as the lid 9 with its locking means 48 has been arrested on thepot body 3, the pull element 15 can no longer be removed from opening19.

In addition, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 10 includes a handlingdevice 55 in the form of a hollow sphere on the tip of the dome-shapedlid 9. The base member 26 consists of a metallic support ring 56 whichis mounted on the lower section of the pot body 3 made from glass, andwhich by reason of the shape of the lower end of the pot body 3 isresiliently locked in a detachable manner to the body or is connectedthereto by means of a clamping mechanism. Furthermore, a pot warmer 57is provided and may have mounted thereon in substantially form-fitfashion the support ring 56.

A few remarks will now be made on the function and operation of saidembodiment.

In FIG. 5, the arrangement of the strainer body 5, which is also shownin FIG. 7, is drawn in the submerged position 4. FIG. 7 shows how thetwo halves 38 and 39 of the strainer body are connected to the holdingring 52. In this position the locking hook 50 is locked with lockingnose 51 so that the position of the strainer body 5 is exactly defined.In this position the spherical strainer body is located with its centerpoint substantially exactly on the pot axis A. If a user wishes totransfer the strainer body 5 from the submerged position 4 into theemerged position 7 (as shown in FIG. 6), he will grip with his fingerthrough the eyelet-shaped handling device 22 and pull the substantiallyrigid pull element 15 downwards. On account of the sickle-shaped form ofthe pull element 15 and the guide in the guide groove 18 together withthe support of the opening 19 and the shoulder 42 on the lid 9, the pullelement 15 is moved along an exactly predetermined path. In the instantcase the path is circular. This means that the pull element 15 cannotchoose another way. The pull element 15 will be displaced by means ofthe handling device 22 until the locking hook 50 is locked with thelower locking nose 51. During this operation the strainer body 5 islifted at the same time because the pull element 15 is more and moremoved into the guiding device.

The arcuate shape of the pull element 15 and of the guiding device, thearrangement of the strainer body 5 as well as the position of the handle14 are chosen with respect to one another such that the strainer body 5in the emerged position is also positioned again with its center pointon the central main axis A. Thanks to this configuration the strainerbody only requires little lateral freedom of movement to be transferredfrom the lower into the upper position. Since a considerable verticaladjustment can be achieved with this displacement mechanism, thismechanism can also be used in slim or high pots.

Thanks to the exact guidance of the pull element the user can veryaccurately control this process. The speed at which the strainer body 5emerges from the liquid 2 will never be so high that there is a risk ofsplashing.

In addition it should be noted that in the various embodiments the pullelement 15 is not only subjected to a tensile load, but also to abending load, and should therefore have a sufficient strength. However,the bending load decreases with an increasing withdrawal of the pullelement 15 so that a heavy strainer body 5 containing a wet load willnot automatically effect a higher load.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tea/coffee pot comprising: a pot body designedto be filled with a liquid; a strainer body in said pot body that ispivotable by means of a handling device between a submerged position andan emerged position, said strainer body comprises at least onecompartment for receiving a substance, wherein said handling devicecomprises a pull element for pivoting said strainer body, and whereinsaid pot body includes a guiding device in which said pull element isdisplaceably guided in longitudinally displaceable fashion along apredetermined curved path for pivoting said strainer body, the curvedpath being convex relative to an axis of the pot.
 2. The pot accordingto claim 1, wherein said pull element is a substantially rigid componentadapted to the path predetermined by said guiding device.
 3. The potaccording to claim 1, wherein said pull element in the emerged positionof said strainer body is predominantly withdrawn into said guidingdevice and held therein.
 4. The pot according to claim 1, furthercomprising a lid which is mountable on an upper pot opening, whereinsaid lid has an interior which is open towards said upper pot openingand in which said strainer body in said emerged position is arranged atleast in part.
 5. The pot according to claim 1, further comprising ahandle on said pot body, said handle forming at least part of saidguiding device.
 6. The pot according to claim 5, wherein the pathpredetermined by said guiding device is adapted to the shape of saidhandle.
 7. The pot according to claim 5, wherein said handle comprises aguide groove as part of said guiding device which extends substantiallyalong the longitudinal extension of said handle and in which said pullelement correspondingly molded thereon is displaceably supported betweena first position assigned to the submerged position and a secondposition assigned to the emerged position.
 8. The pot according to claim5, wherein entireties of said handle, said guide groove and said pullelement are substantially curved in the manner of a circular arc and areinsertable into one another accordingly.
 9. The pot according to claim4, wherein said upper pot opening is at said upper end of said pot body.10. The pot according to claim 5, further comprising an attachmentmember mounted on an upper end of said pot body and is formed at leastwith a spout and an upper pot opening.
 11. The pot according to claim10, wherein said handle is molded onto said attachment member.
 12. Thepot according to claim 5, wherein said handle is detachably secured tosaid pot body.
 13. The pot according to claim 5, wherein said handle isglued to said pot body.
 14. The pot according to claim 4, furthercomprising an opening between said lid and said pot body for passingsaid pull element therethrough, said opening forming part of saidguiding device.
 15. The pot according to claim 7, wherein said pullelement has a flat section having at least one slide surface which ismovable along said guide groove.
 16. The pot according to claim 7,wherein said guide groove is formed on an outside of said handle. 17.The pot according to claim 7, wherein said guide groove in said handleis substantially V-shaped in cross-section, and said flat section ofsaid pull element has a correspondingly adapted cross-section so thatsaid pull element is guided in said guide groove to be substantiallyflush with the outer contour of said handle.
 18. The pot according toclaim 5, wherein said pull element comprises a handling device in thearea of said handle.
 19. The pot according to claim 1, wherein said pullelement has a holding hook at its end assigned to said strainer body.20. The pot according to claim 5, wherein one of said guiding device andsaid handle has an arresting device for fixing a position of said pullelement.
 21. The pot according to claim 20, wherein said arrestingdevice is a constricted portion of said guide groove.
 22. The potaccording to claim 1, further comprising an arresting device in the formof a locking hook on said pull element and an associated locking nose insaid guiding device.
 23. The pot according to claim 22, wherein saidlocking hook is on an end portion of said pull element and said lockingnose is in said guide groove of said handle.
 24. The pot according toclaim 7, further comprising a separate locking nose in said guide groovefor each position of said pull element.
 25. The pot according to claim10, wherein said pot body comprises a lower base member connected tosaid handle.
 26. The pot according to claim 25, wherein said base memberis detachably clamped by means of a clamping mechanism to a lowerportion of said pot body.
 27. The pot according to claim 25, whereinsaid base member is made from a thermally stable material.
 28. The potaccording to claim 5, wherein said pot body is on an outside thereofwith at least one circumferential groove for receiving a wire which issecured with both of its ends to said handle.
 29. The pot according toclaim 28, wherein said two ends are laterally guided along said guidegroove for said pull element in said handle.
 30. The pot according toclaim 5, wherein said handle comprises an outer leg formed with saidguide groove and an inner leg resting on an outside of said pot body,said legs being interconnected at ends thereof to enclose a gripopening.
 31. The pot according to claim 25, wherein said base membercomprises a connection carrier which extends in the direction of saidhandle and is connected thereto.
 32. The pot according to claim 1,wherein said strainer body can be at least one of unfolded and dividedinto two halves.
 33. The pot according to claim 1, wherein said strainerbody is divided into a left and right strainer body half substantiallyin parallel with or in a plane formed by said pull element.
 34. The potaccording to claim 32, wherein an end of said pull element assigned tosaid strainer body has thereon a ring on which at least one of said twostrainer body halves is mountable.
 35. The pot according to claim 34,wherein said at least one strainer body half is connected by means of abayonet-like catch to the other strainer body half or to said ring. 36.The pot according to claim 32, wherein one of said two halves is fixedlyconnected to said pull element and the other of said two halves isdetachably connected to said pull element.
 37. A pot comprising: a potbody with a handle having a guide groove therein that defines a circulararc path; a strainer body that moves within said pot body in a circulararc concentric with the circular arc defined by said guide groove; and apull element attached to said strainer body and sliding in said guidegroove.
 38. A pot comprising: a pot body with a handle having a guidegroove therein; a strainer body that moves within said pot body a pullelement attached to said strainer body and moving along said guidegroove, said pull element being a circular arc over substantially all ofits length even when said pull element extends from said guide groove.39. The pot of claim 38, wherein said strainer body moves in a circulararc concentric with the circular arc of said pull element.